


with(out) you

by NOiSE_wav



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, i need to do shorter and more obvious shippy stuff.... sorry if this throws anyone off ghasklgshala
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-03-31 09:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13971714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NOiSE_wav/pseuds/NOiSE_wav
Summary: The paladins have been captured. They finally escape and make their way towards the castle, however when Keith sees Lotor in his ship he rushes into action.





	1. prisoners.

**Author's Note:**

> just a little canon-divergent about a random galra attack! i hope i got their personalities right..! ;; also i world-build/ramble too much and give too much backstory rip

They had gotten caught—held as prisoners. Not as captives of a ransom, though. They were the defenders of the universe, **they** did the saving. No one would come to save them—they’d have to save themselves.

 

With all five paladins captured (plus Allura and Coran), the Galran general was quick to contact the main Galran ship and get in touch with Zarkon.

 

Hunk positioned himself so that Pidge was out of view of the guards stationed to watch over them while Lance tried to chip away at the cuffs that bound her hands together. If Pidge was free, then soon enough they’d _all_ be free. She was a great fighter—there was no doubt about that; she could probably take out both the guards by herself if she needed to, but what their _main_ objective was, was to get Pidge free so she could hack into the system. With Pidge successfully infiltrated within the Galra encryptions, she could render their cuffs useless, get rid of the mindless sentries, and mess with their surveillance systems.

 

“Are you done yet, Lance? I think they’re onto us—they keep giving me these shifty looking eyes for the past five minutes..!” Lance registers what’s being said to him, but he’s so close that he can’t spare even a _fraction_ of his mind to anything other than freeing Pidge. Nimble fingers mess around with the handcuffs until finally..

 

“Got it!” Lance yells softly (and proudly). Luckily the cuffs didn’t hit the metal floor with a ‘ _clang_ ’ and alert the guards, but rather safely into the green paladin’s lap. “Alright; Hunk, I’m gonna undo yours next. As soon as you’re free, go for the one on the right; I’ll take the left.” Their voices weren’t hushed enough as a guard turns to look at them again, so instead of risking their escape plan by speaking, Hunk gives a silent nod.

 

Keith’s hands fidget and squirm—he’s agitated and wants to get out _now_. He wants to punch those Galran guards right in their goddamn faces. If looks could kill, half the Galrans on the ship would be dead by now. Shiro recognizes this though, and while he’d usually put a hand on Keith’s shoulder to calm him down, all he can do is look at him with pleading eyes.

 

“Keith, I know this isn’t what you want, but you have to calm down: everything’s going according to plan; we just have to wait.” A dissatisfied grunt is given, and the red paladin turns away from Shiro, but all the leader can do is smile at Keith’s back. He knows Keith well enough to tell that he understands. He’s most definitely not happy about it, but he gets it.

 

A grunt from Pidge and Hunk snap Keith out of his daze, and the two guards are knocked out cold. “Lance, help Hunk keep an eye on the door while I hack into the system!”

 

“Got it!”

 

The two paladins are stationed in front of the open door. It was open so that other guards and sentries could keep eyes on the paladins, but with three of them missing from their original positions on the ground (Pidge was busy hacking away at the system that powered the handcuffs), it didn’t take long before they realized something was up and began to open fire.

 

Hunk used his bayard as a shield while Lance shot them down one by one, although with all the racket they were causing, it wouldn’t be long before they were overrun. “Any time now, Pidge!” Lance shouted after just barely dodging an incoming bullet. “Almost there, just give me a few more seconds!” she shouted back. The sound of gunfire was bound to attract attention, and so when Pidge finally got everyone’s cuffs free, they were more than ready to jump into action.

 

“I’ve hacked into the system and got a blueprint of the ship; the escape pods are on the second level. I’m downloading the map right now!” With a simple nod, the entirety of the Voltron crew began to follow Pidge on their path to freedom. “Over there, to the right!” Turning a corner, the group was greeted with a multitude of escape pods.

 

“Okay, the ship is located right outside of this planet’s atmosphere. Everyone, get in your escape pods and meet back up there; we’ll figure out what to do once we’re back in the castle.” Everyone nods including Keith, however that’s only before he sees prince Lotor himself. He’s in his ship, of course, but he was there—he was there right in front of them. “You guys, Lotor’s right over there! We can get him! We can finally get him!” After months of going under the radar, they had finally found him! “Keith, now is not the time! If we go after him now, we risk getting captured _again_ ! We’re to meet up at the castle, and that is **not** a request.” Having spoken her part, Allura gets into a pod. The group can see her steer her way through the galaxy, and they’re quick to follow. Going one by one was suicide, after all.

 

Placing a hand on an obviously disgruntled Keith, Shiro looks at him with empathetic eyes. “Keith, I know how much you want to get Lotor, but you can’t fight him with nothing but an escape pod. Pidge will find a way to track his ship, and we’ll fight him together.”

 

Built up rage over the months finally explode, and Keith pushes Shiro’s arm away from him. “No, you **don’t** know how much I want to get Lotor; if you knew, you’d want to get him as much as I do! No.. I’ve lost too many comrades in the Blade of Marmora because of him, I’m not going to let him get away again!” Jumping into an escape pod, Shiro can only yell, “Keith, wait!” before the red paladin begins his course towards the Galran prince’s ship.


	2. saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i probably should've split this up into more chapters... this one is so long omg im so sorry LOL

Everyone is yelling at Keith asking what he’s doing, but he knows that even if he explains they’ll just tell him that what he’s doing is suicide, and hey, maybe it is. Countless members of the Blade of Marmora had died for the sake of furthering their attempts to put an end to the Galran Empire’s rule, and if killing Lotor and stopping his reign meant he had to forfeit his life die, so be it. After all, what was one life when ruled against millions?

 

He’s about ready to cut off his communication devices (their insistent nagging was driving him crazy) when Shiro chimes in. “Keith, what you’re doing is ridiculous! You’re going to  _ die _ ! It’s not just Lotor you’re up against—it’s his generals as well!”

 

“But it’s a cause worth dying for! I’ve been gone all these months trying to stop the Galra, and now that their leader is right in front of me you want me to just run away?! Do you know how many comrades I’ve seen die because of the Galra?!”

 

“You’re not just a member of the Blade of Marmora though, Keith—you’re a member of Voltron.”

 

A groan of frustration is given before Keith says his final words. “I’m going to finish this once and for all.”

 

“Keith? Keith!” But Shiro’s words will never be heard, because Keith has already decided his course of action. If he was going to fight Lotor, he needed to prepare; he needed to concentrate, and that wasn’t going to happen with six people yelling in his ear. Activating his mask, he jumps out of the pod early and uses his grappling hook to pull himself onto the top of Lotor’s ship. Now that he’s on top of the ship, he has a clear view of where everyone is stationed. Lotor’s in his chair, two guards are up front controlling the ship, and the other two stand  _ just _ a little forward of Lotor, but still by his side. It’d be too obvious if he cut a hole through the top and dropped down—he needed the advantage. He needed a sneak attack.

 

Embedding his grappling hook into a nearby stray asteroid, he pulls himself towards it before using his jetpack to hurl himself towards the hatch of the ship.

 

Cutting straight through, he’s an inch away from Lotor’s head before his hand is grasped by a large woman who immediately hurls him to the side of the ship with such force that the wind is knocked out of him. Gasping, his breathing grows harsh as he takes up his stance, ready to go after Lotor once more. Lotor was right in front of him. If he could kill Lotor, he could end the Galran Empire’s reign once and for all.

 

He charges towards the prince with a scream but is immediately kicked down from behind by a woman bearing a cat on her shoulder, her face completely covered. An upbeat girl of unknown origins then jokes about Keith’s situation as she kicks him on the ground and holds him there. “What should we do about this one, prince Lotor-” as soon as she speaks though, the ship comes under fire and the tremors surprise them enough to allow Keith to flip the girl over, slamming her onto her back as he runs throughout the ships corridors.

 

Once he deems it safe, he turns off his mask and begins to breathe heavily. All he had to do was wait for another chance to strike; if he could just catch them off guard…

 

But this wasn’t his ship—it wasn’t familiar territory; it wasn’t  **his** territory. Lotor and his generals weren’t so foolish as to let Keith escape without pursuit. Quick to reactivate his mask, Keith does his best to fend off their attacks whilst looking for an escape. Eventually he’s backed into a corner; the mission had failed. He doesn’t know what fate has in store for him, but if he’s going down, it won’t be without a fight.

 

As soon as he takes up his battle stance though, the largest general is knocked down from behind. Confused as to what had happened, a scarred face comes into vision and Keith can barely believe his eyes.

 

“Shiro..?! What are you doing here?!”

 

“Saving you, now c’mon!”

 

Not allowing Keith the time to process what was going on (much less protest it), Shiro grabs the paladin’s hand and begins to run towards the escape pods (Pidge had managed to hack into the system just deep enough to give them a layout of the ship). When they reach the escape pods, Keith is finally back to his stubborn self—complaining that he had to do this, that it was his mission; that they were  _ so close _ to getting rid of an essential part of the Galran army. Knowing him and the reckless actions he’d take just to fulfill his sense of justice, Shiro shoves Keith into an escape pod before going in right after him; the enemies were approaching, and they didn’t have time to be bickering like an old married couple.

 

It was a tight fit to be sure, and the entire time they flew towards the castle, the two continued to bicker.

 

When they land on the castle, Keith stumbles. Shiro’s quick to offer his assistance, but blinded by his pride Keith pushes him away. He knew Keith well, though. The only reason he was being so aggressive was because he felt like he had failed his mission. Shiro knew how important the Blade of Marmora was to him, but the fact that they had drilled into his mind that a mission was more important than your life.. it rubbed him the wrong way.

 

He wasn’t so injured as to warrant putting him in a healing pod, and so everyone settled for ice and rest.

 

A few hours pass by before Shiro finally goes to visit him. Knocking on the door three times, he lets out a sigh. “...Keith? I know you’re mad at me, but can we- can we just talk? Please?” Silence. He’s about ready to give up and give Keith more space when the familiar sound of doors opening hits his ears. Eyes wide in surprise, Keith still remains quiet, but that was as big an invitation as Shiro was going to get, and he would happily take it.

 

Walking into the room, the doors close behind him immediately, and he looks at Keith with sad eyes as he sees him seated against the wall of his bed. “Look, Keith, I’m sorry I ruined your mission, but that was way too reckless—even for you! Trying to take on four Galran generals and Lotor at the  _ same time _ ?! What were you thinking?!” 

 

“I was  **thinking** that I could’ve ended the battle before it even started if you had just trusted me!”

 

“Trust? This isn’t  _ about _ trust, Keith! It’s about reality! Everyone knows you’re a great fighter, but so were they; you didn’t honestly expect killing them to be as easy as going in for a sneak attack, did you?”

 

“If all you’re going to do is lecture me then save your breath and leave!”

 

They’re both exhausted from yelling at each other, but rather than leave, Shiro takes his place next to Keith’s side. “I’m sorry, Keith, I just.. when you cut off your comms, I panicked; I didn’t know what to do—what was happening to you. I wanted to rush over right away and help you, but Allura said I’d be of better use if I was in my lion, and I knew she was right so I left, but I was..  _ god _ —I was so scared, Keith—scared of what happened or was happening to you. I know you’re strong and smart, but getting cut off like that.. getting left in the dark like that.. I didn’t know what to do.”

 

The way Shiro pours his heart out to Keith makes him feel a bit uncomfortable; he doesn’t know how to articulate his feelings as well. Whenever he has a surge of emotion, he takes it out with fighting and yelling. Being vulnerable.. it was.. weird.

 

If Shiro could do it though, then the least Keith could do was try. A sigh and he runs his hands through his hair before speaking. “...You don’t have to apologize for anything—I’m the one at fault. I’m sorry for storming off like that, Shiro, and I’m sorry for worrying you, I just… if Lotor meets up with the head Galran ship, then they’ll be that much stronger. I just.. I just wanted to stop that from happening—who knows what him and Zarkon could do together! Catching them off guard and picking them off one by one is way better than facing all of them head-on!”

 

“I agree, but still, what you did was totally reckless! You could’ve been killed, and then the Galran’s would’ve had the upper hand on us!”

 

Keith takes in a sharp breath. He knows. He knows that if he died, the whole galaxy would know that a paladin of Voltron was dead. He knows that they would lose their supporters—their coalition that they worked so hard to achieve.

 

“I just wanted to help, okay?! And if that means dying then whatever! I’d rather die doing what I can for for the good of the galaxy; millions of lives are at stake, Shiro—I’m just one person!” Despite being part Galran himself, he can’t forgive the atrocities they’ve committed. He wanted to protect others from their cruelty. He wanted to protect  **Shiro** from their cruelty; to give him peace of mind with the knowledge that the Galrans were no more, that they’d never be able to hurt him again.

 

“Why do you keep talking about dying?! No one’s dying, Keith!”

 

“You have to face reality, Shiro! This is war! People have already lost their lives, but their deaths weren’t in vain, and mine won’t be either.” Without so much as a glance, Keith quickly gets up from his seat and heads towards the door. He was so frustrated—why couldn’t Shiro understand?!

 

Shiro is quick to react though, and he immediately reaches his hand towards Keith’s wrist, grasping it tightly (but not to the point that it became painful). The red paladin turns his head around, ready to shut down whatever continuation of their talk Shiro wanted, but his anger subsides when he sees the look in Shiro’s eyes.

 

There’s pain. There’s fear. There’s sadness. He almost looks like he’s about to cry, but he stands resolute, his next words flowing as strong as usual without wavering. “I couldn’t ever be happy in a world you died to create, Keith.” He’s at a loss for words, and his heart is beating so fast that he can feel the vibrations throughout his entire body.

 

“What are you talking about, Shiro?” he asks cautiously.

 

“I’m saying that I need you, Keith. I know I said I was okay with you going with the Blade of Marmora, but I can’t stop thinking about you—worrying about you. I need you, Keith. I.. I love you.”

 

Loosening his grip on Keith, his arms drops. Even  _ Shiro _ didn’t expect to confess his feelings so suddenly, yet here they were. Shiro was sure that Keith would run away, but instead all he does is turn to look at the man.

 

Love… Keith admired Shiro; he respected him—hell, he  _ idolized _ him but..  _ love _ ? It was a foreign concept to the teen. He always isolated himself from others, but Shiro took the time to reach out to him. Shiro was always there for him, and truth be told, sometimes when he had a few seconds of spare time to himself in between missions, he’d often think about the other: what was he doing? Was he okay? When could he see him again?

 

Shiro looks dejected. His eyes are downcast, not even bothering to make eye contact with Keith. There’s a tint of pink on his face, and Keith can only assume that the same goes for him. He’s at a loss for words yet again, and again, it’s Shiro who has to speak up first.

“I just.. thought I should tell you that. I’m sorry, I won’t bother you anymore so just..  _ please _ .. don’t throw your life away so easily.”

 

Keith’s heart is pounding in his chest. He knows what to do, but he’s nervous.

 

Walking towards Shiro, he places a hand on his cheek, fingers absentmindedly rubbing the skin beneath (much to Shiro’s surprise). Dark grey eyes move upwards and are shocked at what they see. It wasn’t Keith’s glance that surprised him, but it was the emotions conveyed that caught him off guard. It was almost as if Keith was looking at him..  _ lovingly _ .

 

“Keith..?” Shiro questions quietly.

 

Turning to the side in an attempt to hide his ever-growing blush, Keith does his best to stand his ground and speak the words locked in his heart.

 

“I.. I don’t know much about love; I’ve always been alone. You were the first person to reach out to me.. the first person to say you  **needed** me. You accept me for who I am, hothead and all. B.. Being here with you right now is making my heart go crazy, and I can barely think straight. You’re the leader of Voltron, and I’ve always looked up to you—I’ve always wanted to be more like you. You keep me in check—I feel like I can be a little more vulnerable around you. I don’t know if this is love or not, but I.. I like you, Shiro— _ a lot _ . I want to monopolize you, but most of all, I want you to be happy, and I don’t know if you can be happy with someone like me...”

 

Getting up from the bed, Shiro immediately places his hands on Keith’s cheek and raises his lips to meet his own. The red paladin’s eyes go wide for a moment, but he soon settles into the kiss, pressing himself further and further into Shiro’s embrace.

 

It’s a passionate kiss. Not heated in the way you would expect, but the contact is just enough to get rid of whatever doubts the two may have had about each other—about  _ them _ . A gloved hand is raised and laces itself with the hand currently placed on his cheek. Keith squeezes his hands shut, and Shiro does the same.

 

Shiro had always been a pillar in his life. He was scared to ruin it, but he was greedy—he wanted more. He wanted Shiro.

 

Suddenly realizing what he had done, Shiro pulls back as if he’d been burned. “I- Keith, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

 

“It.. It’s okay, Shiro.” The black paladin turns his back to Keith (probably due to embarrassment), and blue-gray eyes look downwards in a mixture of awkwardness and disappointment. He wanted the kiss to last longer, but.. what if Shiro pulled away because he regretted it?

 

“Shiro… Shiro, if I asked you if you still loved me, would you say yes?”

He’s understandably confused, but turns towards Keith and answers the question anyways. “Yes, of course; why?”

Getting on his tiptoes and gently pulling Shiro’s head downwards, he places a lingering, tender kiss on the black paladin’s lips, letting his lips dust over them as he pulls away. When they’re finally separated, Keith immediately regrets it, missing the warmth that sent waves from his lips all the way to his rapidly beating heart.

 

“I just wanted to make sure it was okay to do that…”

 

Stunned, he looks at Keith incredulously. His stare was so deep and intense that it prompted Keith to pull back, turning to the side in order to hide his flared up face.

 

“W-We should go meet the others now, I’ve rested more than enough and we need to contact the members of our coalition.” Grabbing Shiro’s hand, Keith guides him out of the room, lacing their fingers together to show that the feeling was mutual (actions speak louder than words after all, right?)

 

During their walk, Keith can’t help but wonder if Shiro’s heart is beating as fast as his is. Did he want the kiss to last longer too? But, well…

 

 


End file.
